Manhattan Music: A Performance Festival - 1998 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 8

The Cecilia Chorus of New York, Mark Shapiro, Music Director will present Sing Me the Universal, a Walt Whitman Bicentennial Concert on March 2 at 8:00 PM at the Church of St. Francis Xavier, 46 W. 16th St., between 5th and 6th Avenues in Manhattan. This event celebrates the 200th anniversary of the poet's birth.

Raven Theatre announces its 2019-20 Season, kicking off this fall with the Chicago premiere of Rachel Bonds' drama SUNDOWN, YELLOW MOON, directed by Artistic Director Cody Estle and featuring music and lyrics by The Bengsons. This warm, delicate play with music is an honest look at the hard work of holding a family together and re-connecting with what we've left behind.

Theatre Communications Group has announced that its 2019 Gala will be directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Mayer and feature performances from Oklahoma!'s Ali Stroker, Hadestown's Patrick Page and Eva Noblezada, and Angels in America's Beth Malone.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the full cast and creative team for Metamorphoses. This co-production with the Guthrie Theater is led by nationally and internationally renowned writer and director Mary Zimmerman.

On February 18 and 19, The Tank, an Off-Off Broadway theatre in New York City, will feature a limited engagement run of a very unique show, IWATTAU. IWATTAU is a part of a project created by Film Lab President, actor Jennifer Betit Yen, to address xenophobia and create non-polarized dialogue through the arts.

Soprano Johanna Rusanen, in her Carnegie Hall debut, and baritone Takaoki Onishi are the soloists in Kullervo, for which the OSNY will be joined by tenors and basses of the Manhattan School of Music Symphonic Chorus.

 On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, American Composers Orchestra (ACO) celebrates four individuals - true forces of nature - who have effected change in the American musical landscape at its annual Gala: Jon Deak, Founder & Artistic Director of New York Philharmonic's Very Young Composers; violinist Jennifer Koh; composer and conductor Tania Leon; and Frederick Wertheim, ACO Board Chairman. 

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays, announces the continuation of three Rolling World Premieres: Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett at Indianapolis's Phoenix Theatre (January 11-27, 2019), Red Bike by Caridad Svich at Know Theatre of Cincinnati (January 11-February 2, 2019), and Gabriel Jason Dean's Heartland at New Repertory Theatre (Watertown: January12-February 9, 2019) and the VORTEX (Austin: January 17-February 9, 2019).

2018 was an amazing year for theatre in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and if the proposed seasons for area theatres are any indication, 2019 is going to be a great one, too. From classic plays to super contemporary ones, and of course, a decent amount of musicals, this year has a lot for theatregoers to look forward to. Here are some productions I'm particularly excited about in the coming months.

The Minnesota Orchestra performs new orchestral works by seven of today's top emerging composers in its annual Future Classics concert, played under the baton of Music Director Osmo Vanska. For the first time, the concert will feature two soloists: the Orchestra's Assistant Concertmaster Rui Du and pianist Tengku Irfan. The performance, held on Friday, January 18, at 8 p.m., is the capstone of the 16th annual Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute, presented in collaboration with the American Composers Forum. Returning for his fifth year as the director of the Composer Institute is Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts.

From December 20 to 23, La MaMa Experimental Theater in association the GOH Productions will present the fourth annual production of East Village Dance Project's The Shell-Shocked Nut, an alternative Nutcracker set in the East Village, featuring an intergenerational cast of dancers and musicians.  The piece is recommended for family audiences.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the full cast and creative team for Metamorphoses. This co-production with the Guthrie Theater is led by nationally and internationally renowned writer and director Mary Zimmerman.

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a nonprofit southern California cultural center, is pleased to announce that the headliner of its annual spring benefit dinner is Jane Monheit, a Billboard chart-topping vocalist whose study of the Ella Fitzgerald songbook is unparalleled in contemporary music. The cabaret-style evening features a live performance of Ella Fitzgerald songs by Monheit along with a three-course catered dinner, fine wine and cocktails, and a live auction. An Evening with Jane Monheit is part of the Casa Classic series, which is underwritten by Fluidmaster.

From December 20 to 23, La MaMa Experimental Theater in association the GOH Productions will present the fourth annual production of East Village Dance Project's The Shell-Shocked Nut, an alternative Nutcracker set in the East Village, featuring an intergenerational cast of dancers and musicians.  The piece is recommended for family audiences.

The Morris Choral Society under the baton of Music Director Jason Tramm will present the work of three contemporary composers - all New Jersey residents - in their annual Holiday Concert entitled "Songs Earthly and Divine" December 8 and 9 St. Virgil's Church in Morris Plains.  The concert will feature the New Jersey premiere of R. Wayne Walters, Magnificat and contemporary works which will include David Eddleman's Dai Diddle Dai and Michael John Trotta's Veni, Veni Emmanuel.

Wet Ink Ensemble teams up with renowned trumpeter/composer and longtime collaborator Peter Evans for an evening of sonic adventure today, December 1, 2018 at 8:00pm at St. Peter's Church in Chelsea.

The Morris Choral Society (MCS) will present their annual Holiday Concert entitled "Songs Earthly and Divine" in two performances, Saturday December 8 at 8PM and Sunday December 9 at 3PM at St. Virgil's Parish, 250 Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains, New Jersey. Tickets range from $25 for General Admission, $20 Seniors (60+) and $15 Students and may be purchased online at www.morrischoralsociety.org .

Wet Ink Ensemble teams up with renowned trumpeter/composer and longtime collaborator Peter Evans for an evening of sonic adventure on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 8:00pm at St. Peter's Church in Chelsea.

"What could be better than a play that asks you to shout? Well, one that asks you to sing. All this fun is part of an updated version of "The Brave Little Tailor"...My son also thought of another reason that Seven in One Blow is the greatest play ever: the actors pass out candy at the end."-The New York Times

Rubicon Theatre Producing Artistic Director KARYL LYNN BURNS today announced programming for the company's JANET AND MARK L. GOLDENSON 2018-2019 Broadway Concert Series. According to Burns, the series offers an opportunity for audiences to enjoy the talents and personal stories and insights of some of the best and brightest concert and cabaret stars of the West End, Broadway and the West Coast.

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces casting for the world premiere of The Steadfast Tin Soldier: A Christmas Pantomime, from the story by Hans Christian Andersen, conceived and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman. This family-friendly, holiday show runs November 7, 2018 - January 13, 2019 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. 

Orchestra of St. Luke's Carnegie Hall 32nd-annual series concerts commences this season on October 25 in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, marking the official start of Bernard Labadie's tenure as Principal Conductor of the Orchestra. Bernard Labadie and OSL have chosen Haydn as the theme for his inaugural season, showcasing the Ensemble's strong affinity for this composer. Curated with an eye to interesting musical juxtapositions, the series will offer a variety of perspectives on Haydn's music and influence.  

Tony Award winner Laura Benanti assumes the role of Eliza Doolittle in its award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe's MY FAIR LADY, directed by Bartlett Sher, for a limited engagement beginning tonight, Tuesday, October 23. She is currently scheduled through Sunday, February 17.

The Bessie-award nominated Darrah Carr Dance returns to Irish Arts Center with the premiere of Dancing the Great Arc, a groundbreaking collaboration with trad music duo Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna.  Performances run from Fri, Oct 26 - Sat, Oct 27 at 8pm, with a matinee on Sat, Oct 27 at 2pm.  Tickets are $30 General; $24 for IAC members; and $15 for children 14 and under for the matinee.  To purchase, call 866-811-4111 or visit www.irishartscenter.org

Orchestra of St. Luke's Carnegie Hall 32nd-annual series concerts commences this season on October 25 in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, marking the official start of Bernard Labadie's tenure as Principal Conductor of the Orchestra. Bernard Labadie and OSL have chosen Haydn as the theme for his inaugural season, showcasing the Ensemble's strong affinity for this composer. Curated with an eye to interesting musical juxtapositions, the series will offer a variety of perspectives on Haydn's music and influence.